Interviewing Tech Writers

[iFaqeer (SIA)]

I hate to put it this way, but I have found a self-conscious cleaving
to that kind of list of questions rather... shall we say... juvenile.
I should stop there and focus on the positive...

What I have done when I have had to interview folks--whether as hiring
manager or not; and even non-tech writers that would have to interact
with me or other tech writers--is to sit down with what I consider my
list of "stuff" that a tech writer has to deal with in their job
(language; tech writing skills; people; equipment, software tools,
etc.; HR stuff; ... I have the list somewhere) and tried to get their
take on each. "How much experience do you have with FrameMaker? What
do you think of it? You love it? Okay, what are its shortcomings..."
And during that process tried to get a feel for their level of
expertise and their temperament. Not following a checklist too stiffly
often helps the conversation flow more easily, making natural
transitions between topics and so on. And helps people loosen up where
they will volunteer examples and so on. You know get to the point
where a tech writer, for example, is exhibiting how fanatic they
are--or are not--about grammar, or FrameMaker, and so on. As I keep
saying, to be a good tech writer, your command on the language an
dgrammar has to be above average--but an attitude that is
over-enthusiastic towards such things (for example, being quick to
pass judgement with words like....oh, shall we say, juvenile?) can be
a good indicator of how folks will work with others.

That's as far as I can get for now without completely babbling...I
have a bit of a cold.

iF/SIA

On 2/5/07, Dan Goldstein <DGoldstein at riverainmedical.com> wrote:
> The questions don't matter -- candidates lacking in the necessary
> interpersonal skills can still prepare "correct" answers to any
> question.
>
> What really matters is the candidate's interaction with your current
> staff in various small groups. Schedule a few hours at least, and
> encourage your staff to engage candidates in unscripted conversations
> about the work they're doing (on both sides). Add donuts and soft drinks
> to loosen things up. The staff's cumulative gut feeling about the
> candidate will be an important indicator of future success.
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Condo, Candis
> > Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 12:46 PM
> > To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
> > Subject: Interviewing Tech Writers
> >
> > OK. We have discussed how to get an interview.
> > I am looking at the problem from the other
> > side of the desk. I am NOT the pubs manager
> > although I have been in a past life and I have
> > hired my share of mistakes. Now we are looking
> > to hire a couple of writers, interviewing them
> > this week. I am not worried about FrameMaker
> > expertise. I am not even worried about writing
> > ability. I can find all that. I worry about
> > finding someone who fits into a senior group
> > at a mad-house company.
> >
> > What questions do you ask?...
> >
>
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